Man stole jewelry to make dental grill

UPI News Service, 06/28/2012

An Alaska man who stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry to make a dental grill will serve three months in jail for theft, prosecutors said.

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Prosecutors said Kejuan Bruce Gaddis, 30, of Fairbanks, will serve three months in jail after pleading guilty to the theft charge and one additional month for violating probation from a 2009 domestic violence conviction, the Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported Thursday.

Gaddis, who is scheduled to be formally sentenced July 27, was accused of stealing $3,200 worth of jewelry from Jennifer Silva, a friend who was allowing him to store some property in her home. Police said Gaddis took the items to Bishop's Jewelry to have them melted down and turned into a dental grill.

Silva said the gold was recovered but her diamonds remain missing.

"I think this is another situation where there are not any serious repercussions. He's not going to learn from it," Silva said after the plea deal was announced in court. "But it is what it is and I'm glad it's over with."